Hydrocortisone therapy in a cat with vasopressor-refractory septic shock and suspected critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency

Pisano, Simone R. R.; Howard, Judith; Posthaus, Horst; Kovacevic, Alan; Yozova, Ivayla D.

This study is the first case describing suspected CIRCI in a cat with septic shock and its successful treatment with hydrocortosone constant rate infusion (CRI). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. anorexia, lethargy, and weight loss. Heat cycle control with megestrol acetate (MA, 5 mg/cat PO every other week, in irregular intervals) was last administered 2 months earlier. The cat was presented in lateral recumbency, unable to stand with a heart rate of 180 beats/min, weak peripheral pulses, pale mucous membranes, capillary refill time of 2 sec, and a rectal temperature of 104°F (40°C). Severe dehydration, a poor body condition score of 2/9 and a positive fluid sign on abdominal palpation were noted. The oscillometric mean arterial blood pressure (oMAP) was 85 mmHg (Fig. 1) .